The United States has warned Russia that it will not stop surveillance flights despite the fall of its drone in the Black Sea

The Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austinsaid Wednesday that The United States will continue to carry out surveillance flights after an American drone was attacked by a Russian warplane and shot down over the Black Sea.

” Do not make a mistake, The United States will continue to fly and operate where international law permits.Austin said in remarks at the start of a virtual gathering of some 50 nations supporting Ukraine’s efforts in the war against Russia.

“This dangerous episode is part of a aggressive actions pattern, risky and dangerous by Russian pilots in international airspace,” Austin said. “Russia has a responsibility to operate its military aircraft safely and professionally.”

The incident, the first known physical contact between the Russian and US military since the start of the war in Ukraine, has heightened tensions between the superpowers, although there were signs on Wednesday that the two nations were trying to contain the spin off.

According to United States Air Force in Europe, two Russian fighters Su-27 they intercepted a drone MQ-9 Mower in international waters on Tuesday and the maneuvers of one of the planes led to an accident and the “loss” of the drone.

The United States accuses Russia of the incident and described the action of the Russian planes as “reckless” and unprofessional.

But Russia denies any mistake and the Russian Ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, called US flights near Russian borders “hostile”. According to Moscow, the accident occurred “in the area of ​​​​the Crimean Peninsula”, a Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia in 2014, while this drone was advancing “in the direction” of the Russian border.

This Wednesday, Russia announced its intention to recover the remains of the device which flew near Ukraine, despite Washington’s warning against any attempt to seize the fragments.

“I don’t know if we will be able to get it back, but we have to try and we will work on it,” said the secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushevin television statements.

The head of the Russian intelligence service SVR, Sergei Naryshkinindicated that the country has the “technical” capacity to recover the drone.

White House Homeland Security Spokesperson John Kirbycriticized Russia for refusing to take responsibility for the crash and said the United States was trying to recover the remains of the drone.

“Obviously we don’t want to see anyone else get their hands on it,” Kirby said. “We have taken steps to protect our interests,” he added.

The United States uses the drone MQ-9 Mower for surveillance and attack purposes and has long operated in the Black Sea to survey the presence of Russian naval forces.

Harvesters can be armed with missiles Hellfireas well as laser-guided bombs, and can fly more than 1,770 kilometers at altitudes up to 15,000 meters, according to the US Air Force.

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